Examining the Effective Parameters of Fuse in Seismic Behavior of Low Damage Steel-Braded Frame Systems

Past earthquakes experiences identifies the need for buildings which are less vulnerable to damage and easier to repair after a major earthquake. In a major earthquake, traditional seismic lateral resisting systems can impose serious damages in structural system, leading to large residual drifts thus non-affordable to repair. Therefore, applying new types of structural systems which is known as low damage systems is promoted in framework of a resilience based design. These systems include components of rocking able frame, replaceable fuses and vertical post tensioning tendons to return the structure to its initial state. This paper, first, determines the effective parameters of the fuse, then their effect on seismic behavior of steel-braced frame are examined. According to the results, fuse can significantly influence the performance of the system and some trends to find its optimum characteristics are identified.